Former NBA center Enes Kanter grabbed headlines on Friday when he declared himself a prospect for the 2027 WNBA Draft. Kanter’s unusual declaration is being seen as a test of the WNBA’s eligibility rules after the league was plagued by debates about transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Ex-NFL Players React to Enes Kanter’s WNBA Declaration
In a lengthy post on X, former Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Breiden Fehoko blasted fans and analysts for their reaction to Kanter’s declaration.
“Why is it when someone stands up for women in sports, forcing the system to make a change, all you liberals do is consistently cry and revert to “MAGA needs to be stopped”? Like no goofy we don’t want [expletive] here playing women’s sports and sharing a locker room with girls,” Fehoko posted.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Luke McCown also reacted to Kanter’s move by posting a popcorn emoji and writing: “And here we go.”
Kanter started his professional career with Fenerbahce in Turkey before committing to the Washington Huskies in 2009. He then reopened his commitment and signed a national letter of intent to play for the Kentucky Wildcats. His college basketball dream was shattered when he was declared ineligible by the NCAA.
Instead, Kanter was selected No. 3 overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015. He spent two seasons in Oklahoma before being traded to the New York Knicks in 2017.
Kanter was waived by the Knicks in 2019, and he signed with the Portland Trail Blazers for one season. The Turkish international had a journeyman career, including one season with the Boston Celtics, a year back in Portland, and another in Boston before being waived.
After the former NBA center’s declaration, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association released a statement standing for inclusion, but refusing to be used as “political pawns.”
“We embrace justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion,” the statement read. “Those are the values that unite this Union and allow it to protect women’s sports while creating transformational change. Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm. We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns.”
Kanter became renowned for his outspoken nature on various issues around the world, including criticism of Turkish and Chinese presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Xi Jinping.
After being waived by the Celtics, Kanter claimed that the NBA pushed him out to regain its Chinese market.
